Arkansas Times: Governor Tells State Police 'Open Carry' is the Law in Arkansas

Gov. Asa Hutchinson has informed the Arkansas State Police that he believes a 2013 law made open carry of hand gunsthe law of the land in Arkansas and they should act accordingly.

The governor's letter comes as he faces a challenge in the Republican primary from Jan Morgan, a gun range owner who's depicted Hutchinson (a former spokesman for the NRA) as somehow soft on guns (she was critical of some limitations added to the campus carry legislation, among others). His opinion carries no force of law, but the directive to an executive agency will have the effect of guiding state troopers, as indicated by a notice sent yesterday to troopers by Col. Bill Bryant, director of the State Police.